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Apr 25, 2014

Review: Ging chat goo si 3: Chiu kup ging chat [Supercop] (1992)

The next entry in Jackie Chan's Police Story series is Supercop which ends up going through a bit of a change in tone. Compared to its predecessors, Supercop
turns the dial up on crime movie and turns the dial down on silly
comedy. There are still some slapstick elements, comedic moments and
Jackie Chan still has his comedic timing of course, but the overall feeling has
changed.

That's not to say that Supercop isn't
any good though. The stunts may even seem less grand at first until you get
to the final 30 minutes where they are simply mind blowing. Quite
honestly, Michelle Yeoh practically outshines Jackie Chan's stunt efforts and like the master himself, she does all her own stunts.
She's got real talent and there is some legitimate chemistry between her
and Jackie Chan. Not romantic chemistry mind you, cop chemistry!_______________________________________________________________________________

Synopsis

Chan
Ka-Kui has been put on a collaborative case between the Royal Hong Kong
Police Force and Interpol that requires a "supercop." He is of course
that supercop given his past heroics. Jessica Yang who is played by
Michelle Yeoh isn't too impressed with him though, leading to several standoffs between the two characters who have to learn to work together.

Review

Chan Ka-Kui's mission in Supercop is simple: infiltrate drug lord Chaibat's organization which will
require him to go undercover. It's a dangerous mission and
Ka-Kui doesn't tell his girlfriend May what he's up to because he
doesn't want to make her worry. Yes, Maggie Cheung is still here as is Bill Tung as "Uncle" Bill Wong.

Jackie
Chan didn't direct this entry, but Stanley Tong does a fine job. I'm
pretty sure that for the action choreography, Jackie was the one really
in control and it would be madness not to take advantage of his
knowledge. There are a couple of gun shootouts that seem to be outside
of what should be in a Jackie Chan movie, but I personally enjoyed them
for what they were.

Like I said, Michelle Yeoh knocks this one out of the park with her determination and blatant disregard for her own safety. She takes a page out of Jackie Chan's textbook and she also does well when it comes to doing comedy. The Chan/Yeoh team up is a definitive match made in heaven.

I have to admit though that I still I miss the old silly tone of the two previous Police Story movies. This can probably be attributed to Jackie Chan not being one of the writers of the script. All the same, I respect the efforts to try and make Supercop an evolution instead of just a knockoff. Jackie Chan took more of a back seat for this entry and as a result the finished product feels like less of an extension of himself. We still get the wonderful ending credit blooper montage which is a must with Jackie Chan movies.

Supercop is
a slow boiler before it turns up the heat in the final act. It's an
enjoyable undercover cop movie that utilizes its main characters well
and the baddies are also fun to watch. It's worth it just to see
Michelle Yeoh pretty much upstaging Jackie Chan. Despite the change in
tone, there are some really laughs to be had and it's still a very fun movie
overall.